System of refrigeration for cooling oars



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shet 1. I. M.- McMILLAN & H. O. JOHNSON.

SYSTEM OF REFRIGERATION FOR COOLING OARS, SHIPS, BUILDINGS; &c.

No. 257,506. Patented May9,1882.

N. PETERS. Phowuma n hu. washin mn. I10.

(NOM6de1.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2. F. MOMILLAN 8; H. G. JOHNSON.

SYSTEM OF REFRIGERATION POR GDOLING CARS, SHIPS, BUILDINGS, 850. No. 257,506. Patented May 9,.1882.

I veyed through a pipe or conductor ordelivered PATENT :FRANUIS M. MOMIIJLAN AND HENRY SYSTEM OF REFRIGERATION FORCO G. JOHNSON, OF \VASHINGTON, D. G.

OLING CARS, SHIPS, BUILDINGS, dc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,506, dated May 9, 1882.

Application filed March 21, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Beitknown that we, Framers M. MGMILLAN and HENRY (J. JOHNSON, of Washington, in the county of Washington, District of Columbia, have invented certain Improvements in System of Refrigeration for Cooling. Oars, Ships, Buildings, 810., of which the following isa specification.

Our invention relates to a system of cooling and refrigerating adapted for domestic use, for use in cars and vessels, and for general application inall structures requiring to be refrigerated or cooled.

Theinvention consists in providing the cham" bers to be cooled each with an expansionchamber, which may be in the form of a coil, a hollow wall enveloping, or partially enveloping, the chamber, or in any othcrconvenient and suitable form; in further providing the structure within which the cooling-chamber is located with a receiver or retort to contain I gas, air, or other fluid in a state of compressiou; and, finally, in providing a gas-compressing apparatus, either stationary or portable, to compress the gas or fluid, which is then coninto a large distributing-receiver, either portable or stationary, from which it may be delivered to the smaller receivers of the coolingchambers, from which in turn it will be permitted to escape into the expansion-chamber to take up the heat and produce the proper degree of cold, and then allowed to freely escape. y

For supplying a number of houses in close proximity to the compressing-works underground pipes may be employed to advantage; or the gas may be compressed and supplied to a distributing-receiver from which the receivers of the cooling apparatus may be supplied by a pipe-connection, the distributing-receiver being either portable or stationary.

For railway purposes the compressor or the distributing-receiver may be located by the side of the track, and the cars run alongside to be charged through a pipe-connection; or the compressing apparatus or distributing-receiver may be mounted upon a car or truck provided with a pipe and couplin gs,an d adapted to be run on the ordinary track to the car to nity where it is not deemed desirable to erect compressing-works. In like manner, for supplying vessels the compressor or the distrio uting-receiver may be placed in a permanent or portable structure located upon the pier, or close to the landing-point of the vessels, and provided with pipes and couplings, as above; or said apparatus may be placed in aboat, and thus adapted to travel about theharborto supply vessels at different points therein or to different communities at the water-front.

The purpose of our invention is to dispense crating purposes, whereby the bulky and weighty mass may be avoided and the many inconveniences and objections incident to its use he effectually overcome.

The art of producing cold by expansion of compressed gases or fluids has long been understood and practiced; but it is customary to produce ice by such means and to use the ice in the ordinary way, and to compress the ga-safter expansion in order to reuse it--first, because of the expensive gases usually employed, and, secondly, because all cooling or freezing apparatus of this character known to us has hitherto been provided with com pressing apparatus, or absorbing liquids or matters, as a necessary part of the plant or machinery, and being at hand it could be somewhatmore economically made to recompress the waste gas than to compress a fresh quantity each time.

The principal difficulties attending the general use of apparatus for producing cold through expansion of gases or fluids have been the great costliness of the plant, the necessity of skilled operators to manage thesame, and

the large amount of space required. \Vhen applied to railway-cars or to vessels the matter of spaceoccupied and the question of weight are of the greatest importance, and have unquestionably been great preventivcs against in these places. compressing apparatus and its connections, and doing away with all absorbents of the spent gas at the point where the cooling is to be effected, we avoid these difticulties, while be supplied, or to a distant point or commuby having the gas or fluid compressed in large quantities at a general supply establishment with the use of ice for all cooling and refrigthe introduction of such a system of cooling.

By dispensing with all the the work canvbe safely and economically carried on, and all bother and annoyance to the users of apparatus will be done away with.

The compressed gas will be supplied to receivers or retorts in communication with the expansion chamber or coil ot'the spaceor chamher to be cooled, and will be permitted to escape in a fine stream into said chamber or coil, from which it will be permitted to freely escape. In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1, 2, and 3 represent our apparatus as applied to different classes of structures requiring to be cooled; Fig. 4, a view of one form of the cooling apparatus; Fig. 5, a sectional view of the valve by which the discharge or outflow of gas is controlled, and Fig. 6 a view ot'alarge distributing-receiver.

Asshown in Fig. 1, the compressing apparatus A is fixed, and the gas delivered through pipes B,preferably carried under ground, and communicating either directly with the expansion coil or chamber G of each separate building or with a receiver, D, communicating therewith, the first-mentioned plan beingrather more economical than the second, because dispensing with the receivers. The gas may, however, be stored in large distributing-receivers D, either portable or stationary, from which the gas will be delivered to the cooling apparatus or the receivers thereof through a connecting-pipe, B, as indicated in Fig. 6.

For railway and shipping purposes the compressorA or the distributing-receiverD,either or both, may be placed within a permanent building by the side of the roadway or on the pier, and the gas conducted through strong jointed or flexible pipes 13, provided with suitable couplings, O, by which connection can be made with the receiver D on board the car or vessel. If desired,however, the compressorA or the distributing-receiver I) may be placed upon a truck or car, E, and transported to different points to supply either cars or vessels.

Forsupplyingvessels or connnunitieslocated along the water-front the compressing machincry or a large distributiug-receiver charged with the compressed gas may be placed in a boat, F, and thus be carried about the harbor from vessel to vessel, or along the water-front from one community to another, and supply each in turn.

The cooling apparatus will ordinarily consist of an expansion coil or chamber, G, a gas receiver or vessel, D, communicating with the expansion chamber or coil and adapted to withstand great pressure, and preferably a liquidta-nk, H, containing brine or other non congealable liquid to be circulated through the coil or expansion-chamber, beln g rendered cold by-the expansion of the gas in the same chamher with it.

to use a coil or zigzag pipe and a circulating apparatus, which latter may be of any suitable construction.

A convenient form of circulating mechanism is shown in Fig. 4, being essentially the same as that shown in a previous application filed by us on the 9th day of March, 1882. This apparatus consists of a cup -wheel, I, rotated by the gas escaping from the receiver 1) through a nozzle, J, the shaft of said wheel being furnished with a spiral vane, K, or eqnivalentdevice, which is surrounded by a pipe or cylinder, L, one end otwhich opens into the tank, while the other end connects with one end of the coil G or expansion-chamber, the opposite end of which communicates with the upper part of the tank H, as shown. The gas, after expansion, may be permitted to escape through a vent or check-valve, M, at the highest point of the coil, andjust before said coil reenters the tank, or at the rear side of the tank.

Instead of mechanical devices for securing the circulation of the brine or liquid, at like result may be secured by placing the two openings to and from the tank at different levels, and permitting the difference in temperature to cause a gradual flow or circulation of the liquid.

The gas may be'permitted to escape at any desired number of points and into separate coils or chambers, if found advisable.

In order that the gas may not be wasted by being too rapidly discharged, we prefer to employ a valve capable of being opened a limited distance only, such a valve being shown in Fig. 5. A shoulder or collar, (1, limits the outward movement of the valve stem or spindle I), as shown.

The receivers will be made of steel or a compound or alloy of steel and nickel, or other tough and impenetrable metal or alloy, such as now used for liquid-gas receivers. A softmetal seat will preferably be provided for the valve stem or spindle, as is now commonly done.

We preferto use carbonic-acid gas because of its great compressibility and extreme cheapness; but other gases or atmospheric air may be used.

The compressing apparatus may be of any of the forms now commonly used.

\Ve are aware that it has been proposed to cool and compress air at one point and conduct it through pipes to another point, there cause it to enter a second compressor, and then to conduct the exhaust from said compressor to an air-engine, which, it is alleged, will operate the second compressor. WVe desire particularly to disclaim such plan.

No are further aware that it has been proposed to produce a currentof artificially-cooled air through the interior of a car capable of being closed air-tight, and subsequently closing thecar against the outside atmosphere,

. and that a plan for cooling cars has been sug- When this liquid is employedit is preferred;

gested and patented in which it was proposed to permit a liquefied gas to escape from a receiver, pass through a coil, and enter,'after expansiou, into a water-chamber, to be taken up or absorbed by the water for the purpose of being rendered again anhydrous. Such plan we believe to be impracticable, and this belief is founded upon extensive practical tests. The heat taken up by the gas, being transferred to the water, raises the temperature of the water in a very short time to such a degree that it will no longer take up the-expanded gas, and hence the action of the apparatus ceases. The space required for'the water-chambers and the additional weight involved in their use also render the plan impracticable for cars or vessels, and in most cases for houses.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- 1. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of a gas-compressing apparatus at one point, a structure or structures removed and distinct therefrom, and a pipe or pipes extending from the compressing apparatus to a receiver or an expansion-chamber in said structure or structures communicating with the atmosphere, said pipe being adapted and arranged to convey thecom pressed gas thereto.

2. The method herein set forth of cooling chambers of buildings, cars, vessels, or other structures, which consists in compressing the gas or fluid at a general supply establishment, conducting the compressed gas through a pipe or pipes to a receiver adapted to be put in communication with an expansion -chamber and located in the same structure therewith,

and establishing communication between the receiver and expansion-chamber and between the expansion-chamber and the atmosphere,

whereby the gas is permitted to flow from the t receiver to the expansion-chamber to expand therein and to freely escape after expansion.

3. In combination with a structure containing a gas-receiver and an expansion-chamber communicating with the atmosphere, a gas compressing apparatus provided with a pipe whereby it may be placed in communication with said receiver, the structure andthe compressing apparatus being, one or both, adapted to travel in relation to the other, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination with a structure containin g agas-receiver, alarge distributing-receiver, either portable or stationary, charged with a compressed gas or fluid and adapted to be put into communication with the gas-receiver of said structure, whereby the latter receiver may be supplied with gas for cooling purposes without requiring the compressing apparatus to be brought into immediate connection therewith.

FRANCIS M. MGMILLAN.

. HENRY O. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

ALBERT MILLER, J. A. BABSON. 

